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April 29, 2008
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It was the largest demonstration ever held by foreigners in Korea. Local civic groups threatened to stage a demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, while angry criticism directed at the protesters swept local Web sites. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry officially conveyed its displeasure to China’s ambassador to South Korea Ning Fukui, who expressed “regret and consolation” to Koreans injured on Sunday. “We wonder whether the Chinese are qualified to hold the Olympics under the theme of world peace, while they demonstrate extreme violence towards those who oppose them,” said Rev. Kim Kyu-hong, a member of the civic group called The Citizens’ Action Against the Torch Relay. Kim said most group members attending the protest against the torch relay were elderly, adding that Chinese students threw rocks and tried to stab the group with poles flying Chinese national flags. “I don’t know how foreigners can demonstrate violence towards Koreans in the middle of the country’s streets with no restraint,” Kim said. The Retired Colonels’ Association of Korea, a conservative group of military veterans, also urged the government to “sternly punish” those involved. “If Koreans had staged such violent protests in China, the Chinese police would have opened fire at them,” it said in a written statement. Most visitors to popular Korean Web sites were seething with anger after viewing photos and video clips of Chinese students kicking and beating Tibetan protesters, South Korean civic group members and local police. Some said police were so busy protecting the torch that they were unprepared for the violence. “South Korean police who threatened to arrest any Korean protesters breaking a police line were completely vulnerable to the Chinese,” said one posting under the alias of “fireaqua.” Nearly 20 Chinese students in the photos have been identified by their local acquaintances and their names are circulating on the Web. According to Chinese students here, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul contacted Chinese students in each college to urge them to take part in the torch relay ceremony. “For a country hosting such a massive event, the Chinese Embassy should have paid more attention to making sure their people were under control,” said Lee Ji-young, a 30-year-old office worker in Seoul who was in the middle of the crowd watching the torch relay. “What I saw on Sunday was complete madness, and the police were so busy trying to protect the torch that they didn’t have time to protect Koreans.” The South Korean government also expressed displeasure in the meeting with Ambassador Ning. “In response, Ambassador Ning expressed regret and consolation for the injured local policemen and journalists amid the extreme behavior by some Chinese youths,” the ministry said in a statement yesterday. By Jung Ha-won Staff Reporter [hawon@joongang.co.kr] |
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